Wolverines split over Fall Break

Wakeland 68, McKinney 64

Your Wakeland Wolverines defended their home floor this past Monday night as they looked to tame the McKinney Lions for the second year in a row. The first quarter set the tone because it was going to be back and forth all night. Even though the Wolverines found themselves down by one after the first period of play, the Wolverines tallied 19 points in the second quarter alone to take a 34-29 lead at half. However, the Lions would not go away in the second half and roared with 20 points of their own in the third. Although the Wolverines found themselves down late in the fourth, Sean Watkins calmly led his team to victory at the final sound of the buzzer. Watkins led all scorers with 17 points. Noah Westerfield started to get his basketball legs back under him by tallying his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Sullivan continued to shoot well by scoring 11 points. Coach Brent Benningfield stated after the game, "it's a good win against a team that can shoot very, very well against our aggressive 2-3 zone!" The win keeps Wakeland just above .500 with a record of 4-3. They will take their one game winning streak to the hostile confines of North Garland Raiders before they take a few days off for the Fall Break.

Photos by Ms. Hernandez

Wakeland 64, North Garland 71

On this past Tuesday, your Wakeland Wolverines took on the Raiders of North Garland on their own home floor, which proved difficult for the Wolverines all game long. The Raiders looted the glass in the first half by grabbing over 20 rebounds, mostly offensive, which led to extra possessions and buckets. Wakeland trailed the Raiders from the first quarter on and found themselves down by as much as 14 points late in the third. However, Wakeland cut the deficit to two points with just a minutes remaining, but it was a little too late for the Wolverines to overcome their first half woes. Noah Westerfield led all scorers with 18 points while Jimmy Wilkins added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Sean Watkins was the only other Wolverine that scored in double figures with 10 points. Coach Marty Tidwell commented after the game, "the effort we showed today was eerily similar to the effort we showed Paschal last year during the holiday break, it is almost like we didn't even want to be there!" The loss brings Wakeland's overall record back to .500 at 4-4. The Wolverines will be back in action at home against Southlake Carroll on Tuesday, so come out and help us slay the Dragons for the second year in a row. Go orange and blue!  

Photos by Ms. Hernandez

Varsity Boys goes 2-2, gets 4th at Keller ISD Classic

Game #1
Wakeland 55, Birdville 47

Your Varsity Boys took their show on the road to the 1st annual Keller ISD Classic this past weekend, whose tournament boasted some of the best talent around the DFW area. The Wolverines took down Birdville in the opening round of the tournament by a score of 55-47. Javante McCoy came off the bench to hit a couple of 3's to lead all scorers with 12 points while Noah Westerfield pulled down 7 boards. 

Game #2
Wakeland 59, Irving 43

In the second round, Wakeland defeated Irving High School by a score of 59-43. The Wolverines stingy defense created offensive miscues for the Tigers all night long. Sean Watkins and Anthony Grayson both scored in double digits while Jimmy Wilkins cleaned the glass with 8 boards. 

Game #3
Wakeland 40, Trinity 45

In the semi-finals, the Wolverines loss to Euless Trinity, who boasts a 6'11 center, Myles Turner, who just happens to be one of the most highly recruited posts in the nation. Even with his dominating presence in the paint, the Wolverines went back and forth with the Trojans all the way to the end, but fell just a little bit short, 45-40. Anthony Grayson scored 8 points while Noah Westerfield and Jimmy Wilkins both pulled down 6 rebounds. 

Game #4
Wakeland 40, McKinney North 43

After a slow start in the 3rd place game, the Wolverines found themselves down 16-3 to McKinney North at the end of the first quarter. Even though they clawed their way back into the game against the Bulldogs, they fell short 43-40. Wakeland finished 2-2 for the tournament with a fourth place finish out of 32 teams. The Wolverines will be back in action at home against the Lions of McKinney High on Monday, Nov. 25th at 7:30pm. Wakeland will then travel to North Garland on Tuesday, Nov. 26th to take on the Raiders at 3:30pm before they take off a few days for the Fall Break. Hope to see you there. Go orange and blue! 

Photos by Ms. Hernandez

Wolverines let one slip away at Lone Star

Your Wakeland Wolverines tallied their first loss of the season by letting one slip away this past Tuesday night at Lone Star by a score of 73-74. Even though the Wolverines shot over 50% for the game, their inability to execute offensively at the end of the game cost them their second win of the season. From the start, Wakeland found themselves in a dog fight as both teams scored at will, which ended at a 17-17 tie by the end of the first quarter. However, the Wolverines pulled ahead midway through the second quarter, but saw their lead diminish to only three by half. In the third quarter, Wakeland showed their dominance by pushing the lead to 12 points with only a little over a minute to play. Then Lone Star's full court pressure on Wakeland guards helped closed the gap to just 5 by the end of the quarter. In the final quarter of play, Wakeland committed some costly turnovers down the stretch, and missed some crucial buckets, which sealed their fate in the closing seconds of the game. Michael Sullivan scored a career high, 14 points, while Sean Watkins added 13. Jimmy Wilkins came off the bench to put in 8 points and 9 boards, while Noah Westerfield added 10 points. Coach Marty Tidwell commented after the game, "obviously, the loss stings because its our Eldorado rival, but adversity this early in the season is to be expected and we just need to grow, mature, and not make the same silly mistakes that we did tonight down the stretch!" This puts the Wolverines at 1-1 on the season as they travel to play the Hawks of Birdville in the first round of the Timber Creek Classic on Thursday night at 6pm. The Wolverines will play at Timber Creek High School in Keller. Hope to see you there. Go orange and blue!

Photos by Ms. Hernandez

Wakeland wins opener against Wylie

Your Wakeland Wolverines started off the 2013-2014 season on a winning note this past Friday night by defeating the Pirates of Wylie by a score of 57-48. Even though the Wolverines struggled shooting from beyond the arc, their stingy defense led to easy transition points, which eventually overwhelmed Wylie late in the game. From the start, Wakeland found themselves trailing the Pirates 16-12 by the end of the first quarter. However, the Wolverines closed the gap to just a one point deficit by halftime. In the third quarter, it was the Sean Watkins show. Watkins scored 10 of his game-high, 16 points. In addition, his 6 steals, 2 assists, and 1 unforgettable block off the backboard catapulted the Wolverines into the lead and they never looked back. By the end of the third quarter, Wakeland found themselves up 39-34 going into the final quarter of play. Wakeland was able to ice the game by going 8-12 from the free-throw line in the last few minutes. Michael Sullivan scored 12 points, while new kid on the block, Anthony Grayson scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Sean Antonelli came off the bench to clean up the glass with 14 rebounds in the game. Coach Brent Benningfield stated on Mr. Clean, "it was great to see Sean Antonelli control the boards the way he did, that kid has put in a lot of work in the off-season." This puts the Wolverines at 1-0 on the season as they travel to play Eldorado rivals, the Lone Star Rangers on Tuesday night at 7:30pm. Hope to see you there. Go orange and blue!

A huge "Thank You" to Ms. Hernandez for taking hundreds of pictures of all of the players during all the action. Feel free to copy/paste whatever you'd like.

Photos by Ms. Hernandez